As the weather cools we start to look for more comforting recipes and Philippa Cameron of Otematata Station’s latest book Winter Warmers: Recipes and stories from a New Zealand high country station provides plenty of inspiration. Rebecca Fox asks for some kitchen advice.
What is your advice for deciding what to cook each night?
Use seasonal produce, make a rough plan for the week and make double so you freeze half. That way on nights where plans change or you’re in late, you have something quick and easy to heat up.
How do you juggle the kids’ eating habits with the adults you also cook for?
We all eat the same thing or a version of it. And if there is a night that the children are being fussy, there is always a jam sandwich.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My friends, from other farm cooks, from old school fundraising booklets and from my surroundings.
Do you grow the vegetables too?
I do have a good vegetable garden. This past spring-summer season, the tomatoes and cucumbers did well, along with a good crop of pumpkins and potatoes. We always grow a lot of silverbeet. I always grow plenty and share with the chickens.
It looks like planning is the key — is it?
I tend not to plan too much as plans often change on farm. Perhaps it would be best to say that being prepared is key — prepared for a change in weather, a setback or for the status quo.
What does an average supermarket shop look like for you?
People assume it would be quite large but, as the years have gone by, I’ve gotten better at buying in bulk, making use of the vegetable garden, keeping chickens for eggs and supporting the local store for bread and milk. There are, of course, certain times throughout the year when it’s a couple of trolleys — such as the muster shop or during lamb marking when we have a much larger staff on.
What is your favourite recipe in the book?
Cauliflower cheese — a simple, hearty and filling side dish.
What was the hardest recipe in the book to develop?
Not so much the hardest to develop, but when I cook something often, I don’t tend to measure the ingredients and use my eyes to gauge how much I need. So when I had to stop and think how many tablespoons is in a handful … it made me slow down and think.
What did you learn from hearing the stories of those who have worked on the station in the past?
I learnt that their memory of their time on the station flows through their veins in a current much stronger than the Ōtemātātā river itself.
What is your biggest challenge living and working on the station?
We have a state highway go past our front gate, a great wee coffee cart not far from that and one of the most beautiful backdrops in the country. I cannot think of a challenge.
Did you ever have the "what have I done'' moment after moving to the station?
Never. It was always part of the discussion to move. I always say to the girls, "do you know how special it is grow up here?".
What is your favourite thing about living on the station?
It is the space, the change of the seasons, the people and the land.
What have you learnt about yourself in the past few years juggling growing children, station life and now author?
I’m a big believer in only doing what you can. You don’t need to be doing it all. Ask for help. Enjoy time with your family. Say yes to new opportunities but remember you can always say no if it doesn’t make your heart full.
The book
Winter Warmers: Recipes and stories from a New Zealand high country station by Philippa Cameron. Photography © Lottie Hedley. RRP$49.99. Hardback. Published by Allen & Unwin NZ.
Sally Lunn tea cake
Who would have thought that using leftover mashed potato would result in this delicious classic tea cake? The origin of Sally Lunn and her tea cake varies depending on whose story you are listening to. Dating as far back as the 1600s in Bath, England, this recipe has taken on many variations throughout time.
If I were Sally, I would be incredibly honoured to know that my name has been remembered for over three centuries for a simple and sweet tea cake enjoyed everywhere from tea rooms in Bath to smoko tins in the high country of New Zealand.
Serves 8
Tea Cake
1 cup cold, unseasoned mashed potato
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold milk
2 cups self-raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 cup sultanas
Vanilla Icing
1 cup icing sugar
20g butter, softened
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Shredded coconut, to decorate (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-bake. Prepare a 20cm round cake tin.
If the mashed potato has any lumps, you could sieve the potato first.
Place the potato in the bowl of a cake mixer.
Add the sugar and combine until creamy. Add the milk and combine. Add the flour, mixed spice and sultanas. Pop into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
Bake for 40 minutes until there is a golden crust (similar to the top of a loaf of bread).
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes before tipping on to a wire rack to cool.
To make the icing, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. You may need a little boiling water if you think your icing is too thick.
Use a palette knife or a small spatula to ice the tea cake and sprinkle with the coconut (if using).
Serve cold in wedges or smaller buttered slices. This is best served within 1–2 days.
Tips and tricks
• If you do not have a cake mixer, this recipe could easily be made in a bowl. Use a dough whisk to combine the ingredients.
• You could use ground cinnamon instead of mixed spice.
Curried cauliflower salad
It’s sometimes hard to get inspiration for salads in winter, but this is one you will want to make time after time. The yoghurt is fresh and light, and the curry flavours help liven up a winter meal.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
420g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup unsalted cashews
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 bulbs garlic, crushed
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper
Yoghurt dressing
½ cup plain yoghurt
1 tsp curry powder
good squeeze of lemon
Method
Preheat the oven to 180degC fan-bake.
Prepare a large roasting dish.
Scatter the cauliflower over the prepared dish.
Scatter the chickpeas and cashews on top.
Combine the honey, oil, garlic and spices in a pot on a low heat.
Heat until runny and combined.
Drizzle the honey mixture over the cauliflower, chickpeas and cashews.
Grind salt and pepper over the top.
Roast for 20 minutes, tossing the mixture every 5-10 minutes, until slightly brown.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl or jug.
Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and toss through the dressing.
Tips and tricks
• You could use the microwave to heat the honey mixture.
• Microgreens are a great addition scattered on top.
• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Mashed-potato pastry sausage rolls
These sausage rolls are so soft and buttery that they have become a firm favourite with the children, as well as in the smoko tins. This is also a great way to use up any leftover mashed potato that would normally hang out at the back of your fridge.
Makes 6 large rolls
Ingredients
Mashed-potato pastry
50g butter
75g flour
1½ cups cold mashed potato
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup milk
Sausage filling
450g sausage meat
½ tsp curry powder
1 onion, grated or finely diced
½ cup breadcrumbs
tomato sauce (enough to combine the mixture)
To decorate: handful of sesame seeds (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200degC fan-bake and prepare a baking tray.
To make the pastry, rub together the butter and flour.
Add the cold mashed potato and baking powder. Combine using a dough whisk or butter knife.
Slowly pour in the milk (you may not need all of it) and combine to make a firm dough.
Use clean hands to form the dough into a ball. Put the dough on a well-floured surface and roll out to a square about 5mm (¼in) thick.
Cut in half, creating two rectangles.
To make the filling, simply rinse out the bowl you used to make the pastry (I’m all about minimal dishes).
Squeeze in the sausage meat and combine with the remaining ingredients.
Spoon small amounts of the filling into the middle of each pastry rectangle, creating one long sausage down the middle.
Wrap the pastry around the sausage meat, leaving the ends open.
Cut each log into three pieces and place on the prepared tray.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using).
Bake for 25 minutes until golden.
Tips and tricks
• I grate my onions instead of dicing them. That way, I ensure there are no chunks for the fussy eaters to find.
• Turn the pastry a quarter-turn after each time you roll it. This will ensure you get more of a square shape.
• You could use the mashed potato pastry as a topping on a fish pie or cottage pie.
